First Logbook – Canada
Log Book 1 was issued to Grandpa here in Canada when he was sent to Elementary Flying Training School #8 at Sea Island, now Vancouver International Airport. Grandpa told me that the airfield they had was a grass strip on the South side of the airport by the Fraser River.
At the beginning of the war flight training was entrusted to civilian instructors. Once they had trained a corps of fliers these took over as military instuctors and the civilians were phased out.
EFTS #8 was established on July 22nd 1940. Grandpa was in the first class of #8, his first flight being on 23 July 1940. On August 2nd of 1940 he made three flights in Tiger Moth 4052 but on the third he was alone. It was his first solo flight! He went
on to become an instructor himself as we shall see and eventually ship overseas to fly with Fighter Command in England and over the Continent.
I will break the Log Books into sections as we go along with what ever relevant comments I can muster. On this page we will deal the entries made while flying in Canada which runs from his first flight to his last flight at Central Flying School Trenton on 21 September 1942.
#8 E.F.T.S. Sea Island
Dad’s next posting was to No. 4 Service Flying Training School in Saskatoon. It was here that he was introduced to the Harvard. Now we were beginning to fly real aeroplanes! This training occupied the period 16 October thru 19 December of 1940.
#4 S.F.T.S. Saskatoon
At the end of 1940 he was again transferred, this time to the Central Flying School in Trenton, Ontario. This was momentous in all our lives because it was while here that he met Grandma. But that is another story for another day.
He was at the Central Flying School to take the flight instructors course (Course No. 27) which he completed with considerable praise for his ability. His certificate is pasted in his Log Book and is visible in the next section. It is dated 18 March 1941 and is inserted chronologically in the book. His flights at Trenton were in the period 31 Dec 1940 thru 24 February 1941 and in that time he flew a wide variety of aircraft including the Fleet Finch, the Harvard, and the Tiger Moth. He refers to flying a Lockheed but there is no type given. I assume it was one of the Hudson Bomber class of machines.
Central Flying School – Trenton, Ontario
Grandpa was in the first class to graduate under the fledgling Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The plan was just getting going and they needed instructors. So his whole class was sent to the Central Flying School in Trenton to be trained as instructors. He says that they spent a lot of time in the classroom learning how to be instructors.
N0. 8 S.F.T.S. Moncton, N.B.
At the end of February 1941 Grandpa was transfered to No. 8 Serfice Flying Training School, a flight training squadron of S Training Command which was part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. He was now an instructor and while in Moncton instructed on multi engined Anson Aircraft.
Back to Central Flying School, Trenton, Ontario
At the end of August 1941 Grandpa was transfered back to Central Flying School in Trento where he was to begin instructing on Harvards. The rest of his time in Canada was here before he was sent overseas to England.